


Not a reader

by chiffon_cat



Series: Mewgulf AU moments [1]
Category: Mewgulf, เกลียดนักมาเป็นที่รักกันซะดีๆ | TharnType: The Series (TV), เกลียดนักมาเป็นที่รักกันซะดีๆ | TharnType: The Series (TV) RPF
Genre: Before TharnType Workshop started, Gulf is an enigma, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Mew is anxious, MewGulf at TEP interview, MewGulf early days, My First Fanfic, No sad endings in my stories, One Shot Collection, Slice of life but in showbiz, i am so bad at tagging, i have no idea what i am doing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:34:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26401228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiffon_cat/pseuds/chiffon_cat
Summary: Three weeks after his successful audition for the show 'TharnType', Mew finds out that his newbie co-star doesn't know just how infamous the actor playing Tharn is.Mew tries to tell him. Nong Gulf may have other ideas.
Relationships: Mew Suppasit Jongcheveevat/Gulf Kanawut Traipipattanapong
Series: Mewgulf AU moments [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1918822
Comments: 25
Kudos: 156





	Not a reader

**Author's Note:**

> One shot from a series focusing on the many puzzling things that happened in the real life MewGulf saga. These two gods have made a writer of me! I wuv them.

Gulf didn’t know. 

Mew felt blindsided, just like he did on that day last October when he had woke up to Jom opening the black-out curtains in his room. As the blinding brightness hit his cornea, he had him instantly covered his eyes and groaned, "I'm riding out a migraine." 

His sullen reproach, of course, did nothing to his sister. "You need light," was her crisp reply. 

Mew never had great health even as a child, what with his high myopia and sinusitis and constant back pain... he hates feeling sick, he hates it more when he has to reveal to others that he is sick, and he'd been hiding in his room for three days after that damned Live, and his sister was perfectly right in letting in some fresh air. His delicate eyes had screwed shut as the sun light exploded in front of his vision. He still remembered how shockingly painful that exposure was. 

Gulf had no idea at all. How is it even possible? 

They had just wrapped up their interview and photo shoot with TEP. In the past three weeks since he was given a miraculous second chance, Mew already started the ground work needed for his new role. His fans had gifted him a copy of The TharnType Story, the novel that the show based on and he now had an idea about his lead charactar (and was not really impressed so far). He had also started chatting on the phone with Gulf Kanawut, the other lead of the show, but that obviously was no hosted interview, specifically drafted to unearth personalities. 

Gulf was new to the BL world. He had the necessary cute boy-band looks and as an extra, a raw talent that helped him snag the role of the other main lead Type, but pretty much nothing else, if you ask Mew. That day, Gulf had sat in a corner looking at his mobile, appearing aloof, even intimidating, even as he was surrounded by his friends who seemed to act like his bodyguards or something. 

Mew himself had attended the audition surrounded by his fan club, but at least he'd been smiling and conversing with them (even if he was pretending to be super okay). His fan club, surprisingly, had zoomed in on Gulf as the best Type and even started shipping them already! Mew felt a smile touch his lips. Without his fans' positive outlook and unwavering support, where would he have been now? But still, it didn't mean everything was going to be peachy... he was, after all, about to become one half of a new shipped pair, when he had hardly recovered from the disasterous last time he was one. 

Gulf was so not like what he was used to, as far as 'shippable' leads go in the BL industry. The few times Mew had met him since audition day, he found his new co-star to be a complete introvert. He had actually started to worry about how convincing Gulf would be in the obligatory fan service. But Gulf had surprised him. Which was... interesting, because nothing surprised Mew anymore. Except, may be, when he was asked to audition as a main lead. 

And the way he and Gulf had chosen each other as Tharn and Type. That was... something else. Then again, the young man really was the best Type out of the lot. 

Was Mew the best Tharn, though? He must ask Nong what made him think so. After Mew got him to speak more than seven words at a time. 

Mew liked Patty Tabor because she was nice, not one of the vulture-breed of host interviewers bent on making their guests spill all the secrets and indiscretions of their current and past lives. Gulf's answers to her questions had been a mix of honesty and hilarity, as he revealed himself to be a stoic and well-mannered young man who seldom spoke but when he did, packed a punch. Mew, who went through life these days like swimming upstream a tepid sludge, felt first, relieved, and then, intrigued. 

Did anybody ever realised how much Mew craved to excel as an actor? He doubted it. Most only saw his looks and his model avatar. Only his close ones knew of his passion for the screen. If singing was in his heart, acting was in his blood. In a tv show, weak links undermine your performance too. To be paired with a good actor was a boon, and to be a mentor for a young talent like Gulf intrigued, no, thrilled him. And the relief was because… as handsome as he was, the nong was SO not his type. 

Well, he was to be his Tharn's Type, but not *his* type, so Mew was safe. He won’t be repeating his past mistakes again. This time, he will be completely on guard. 

Then he remembered. At the interview, Gulf had placed his hands on over his chest and said, “P’Mew will protect me. Absolutely.” 

Mew felt warmth blooming in his own chest, the sheer joy of having a fellow actor trust in him. He liked that most about Gulf at the audition, even as he found him unapproachable. The nong never gave him the snide looks other Type wannabes had given him. He had looked at Mew as an actor. Nothing more, nothing less. The only validation a real actor needed was that recognition. 

The loss of it was the biggest blow. 

The heartache, that's nothing new - though, he had to admit, it was the hardest and most humiliating one so far. But the blow to his passion? Acting was sacred to Mew and the most grief he had about the entire clusterfck was how one personal mistake had stripped him of his professional pride and made a mockery of his hard work, his dedication, his everything that took him ten years of his life. It was bloody life-affirming to be judged for his acting alone! 

And then… his brain, the relentless curiosity which made him pursue academics and acting side by side, woke up. 

You don’t label a person as a protector unless you are convinced that they were innocent. Mew was a stranger, and the star of all those BTS videos of his previous series, that one damning video in particular, which was all over the internet. How can the nong be that sure that Mew was not a... a predator? Only the foolish and the ignorant can have such blissful assurance… 

Suddenly, Mew had to know. So he had asked and received the answer, with the words ‘dyslexia’, ‘can't read for long’ and ‘I prefer footballing’ thrown in it.

Mew massaged his forehead, feeling an odd tingle right behind his eyes. The migraine might be making a come back. Or it could be his nong’s soft, nasally voice as he continued speaking, not aware that his Phi was going through a mini meltdown. 

“I had special permission at school and college to opt for viva whenever I could. It's not like I can't read at all, but... yeah, words are not easy for me," his co-star admitted, looking pensively on to the pattern on the marble floor. "That’s why I send stickers when I Line.”

“So… you never Google at all?” Mew asked, slowly. 

“I am a model, not a scholar. I am mostly online for games," the younger one laughed. "I didn’t even have email until Bester signed me up with his agency. Phi, do you play ROV?" 

"No... not really. But you gave your IG handle to Mewlions that day?" Mew asked. He had seen the video of his fans asking the younger for his soc med details and wishing him su su, when he was waiting the audition lunge area. Gulf had not looked intimdiating then. He was actually pleasant, even bashful. 

"My agency handles my portfolio and IG account, Phi. Can't be bothered with all that. Oh, P'Tee told me to follow you on Twitter, but I am still trying to get an hang of it, uffff, it's confusing,” Gulf exhaled, clicking his tongue. He sounded like one of those crotchety elders, exhausted with the complexities of modern amenities. 

Mew could not believe his ears. What kind of an actor... wait, what kind of a person his age didn’t use Google these days? 

“P'Mame said I can have the long dialogues as audio clips during workshops, so you don't have to worry that I might not perform well,” his nong said, almost apologetically. 

As if it mattered. Mew said, shrugging, "A lot of actors are dyslexic. Tom Cruise. Jennifer Aniston. Steven Spielberg. You are in great company." 

“That's right!" Gulf chuckled, but immediately sobered up. "But there is no audiobook of Tharntype." 

The two men stared at each other. Mew noticed, for the first time, that Gulf's eyes had a way of becoming impossibly wide when he was worried about something. 

"You have to help me, Phi. May be we can read the book together, know more about our charactars?" the nong said slowly. "The cafe at my condo has these sky lit alcoves, and they don’t play loud music, thank god, we can hang out there.”

Mew was about half way into the novel, which was practically porn, as far as he could see. Read it in a public space to this dew-eyed boy with chestnut-shaped lips? Mother of God. 

“I know I should've watched your previous series before today's interview, but I was caught up with stuff. May be we can watch it together? I am a greenhorn, you already know that. You can tell me all about your experience acting as a lead in a BL show.” 

FML, thought Mew. Why had he ever thought his co-star as aloof? He obviously could speak. And did the younger man just invite Mew to his condo to watch the adult-rated series? 

This boy was too innocent, decided Mew. The BL industry can be a snake pit, with hypocrites as gatekeepers guarding the diamonds, and fans who could be either angels or demons, and all the ugliness can be soul-destroying. From here on, it's going to get worse as the workshops and the skinship stuff start. Gulf should know what he is in for… what he should be prepared for. 

“You should look me up online, Nong,” Mew sighs, finally. “To know more about me. After that… we will talk. I will answer any questions you have. And we can go over the novel together.”

His nong’s eyebrows were bunched together. Later, Mew would become very fond of that 'Angry Bird' frown as his Tharn lost his mind and heart and sanity to the tidal wave that was Gulf Kanawhut's Type, on and off screen, but right now the nong just looked like a confused kid.

Gulf's face slowly relaxed. “I don’t need to google you,” he replied simply. “What am I going to learn about you from a manmade app that I won’t learn from the living, breathing Phi sitting next to me?” 

Mew looked at the young one again, at that gentle smile, at those unwavering Bambi eyes. He felt oddly disoriented, just like that day last October when the sun suddenly burst into his vision and momentarily blinded him, even though the lounge they were waiting for Gulf’s ride had its windows boarded up to keep the air-conditioning in. 

Just then, Patty called out from the front reception. “Gulf, your mom is here to pick you up.” 

Nong scrambled to his feet and beamed at Mew. “I'm free tomorrow, Phi. Line me your location, I will be at your place after lunch.”

And just like that, they had a date. A study date, to be fair, but still. 

Wait, why is he even calling it a date? It was work. Just work. 

Mew looked at the exit door, through its glass panelling, at the car departing, at the man waving at him from inside. 

Gulf Kanawhut Traipipattanapong. 

Dyslexic Footballer. Model-turned-actor with striking good looks and a strangely alarming innocence. His 21-year-old newbie co-star who just revealed to a harsh, judgemental world that he trusted Mew Suppasit to protect him - absolutely. 

Mew rubbed his eyelids. The tingle was still there, but it did not pain.

**Author's Note:**

> Say anything! I love feedback. Saarenge for reading my fiction.
> 
> Video of Gulf saying P'Mew will protect him:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_nWKn057aQ
> 
> Note: I know all haters targeted G when he came on twitter on Jan 29, 2019 and made sure he learned everything abt his new co-star (assuming he didn't know before, which is not so possible), but in my AU this did not happen bcos G never came on twitter until workshop started :). Just a small change I wanted to give to my story... bcos reality is often too much.


End file.
